The Disappearance
by StormyMist
Summary: Naruto leaves, probably for good, thinking he has caused enough pain to the people of Konoha. But does he know what kind of affect it has on some others? SasuNaru.
1. The Disappearance

Me: The plot is a classic, I know. But I've read so many good fics and I've been dying to see how **_I_** would write it. Because I want to test my skills as a writer, I'm trying to find the one genre I'm best at. Or maybe it has nothing to do with the genre at all; it may just be the plot. I know many of you wouldn't read my author notes or my rambling, but I hope you read this 'cuz in my opinion it's quite important. XD Anyway, I do hope you enjoy this fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Warnings: guyxguy, tragedy(?), and other stuff. (more will probably come in later chapters)

Pairings: Gee, I wonder. If you've read my other fics you'd know, but if you haven't I'll tell you. It's a SasukexNaruto.

Me: If you think this chapter was short, don't worry. The **later** chapters will be longer and probably better too.

Summary: Naruto leaves, probably forever, one day, thinking that he has caused enough pain, grief and suffering to the people of Konoha. But he left...not knowing that he was also leaving that one special person.

_Prologue_

A bitter laugh escaped my lips as I looked up to the raining sky, eyes closed. I heard it was supposed to be an all-sunny day today, and it should continue to be that way since today I was going to go away.

Disappear.

It was ironic how the sun was supposed to be up today and yet it was raining.

Coincidence.

This was all a mere coincidence.

I reach out my hand and try to feel the droplets of rain on my hand, but I could feel nothing. Huh. I guess my body is probably numb from the cold.

Sighing, I turn around and take my time to walk to my apartment. I remember the last time I was out in the rain…my hands were icy cold and it felt as if needles were going through them. My face felt cold and hot at the same time and my wet clothes, which clung to my skin, didn't make anything any better. I was training that day and slept on the forest ground until I felt wet beads splash onto my face and I knew I needed to go home, but I didn't. I stayed there the whole entire night, sheltered in a large hole inside of a tree.

That day, I didn't want to go home. I wanted to just stay in one place…all alone. No one would know _or_ bother me here. Besides, tomorrow was a Saturday.

Reaching my destination, I turned the knob of the door into my so called 'home'. I walked in and, to no surprise, found it empty. Of course, I had cleaned everything the other day, giving away all of my belongings and giving it to the local orphanage in Konoha. They didn't like the fact that _I_ was giving them things, but they were nice enough to thank me for giving it to them.

The only things I have left are my keys, a little note and the clothes that I have on my body; the only _real_ things that belonged to me.

I look around the living room one last time; scrutinizing every detail and impaling them in my mind. This…is the last time I'll ever see this room _and_ this place.

Ever.

A sad smile etched on my face before I turn around and walk out of the door, closing and locking it as well.

Now…all I need to do now is send my letter…to _him_.

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Me: Soooo…did you likey? XP I hope you review because it really helps improve my self-esteem on writing! Plus, I need to be better 'cuz I'm _almost_ failing in writing. Hah! Please R&R:3


	2. Selfishness

StormyMist: Not many people reviewed to this…and none of my other fics either. :sad face: I was expecting more since this was going to be a multi-chapter one, but I guess it just wasn't long enough.

Warnings: language, angst, tragedy,OOCnessand randomness.

Pairings: SasuNaru and maybe others.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Genre: Romance and Angst (?)

Me: This is a pretty pointless chapter, but the beginning of this is important enough for you to need to read it. I'll make the next chapter more entertaining, just you wait and see! Enjoy this one for now!

_Chapter 2: Selfishness_

"What do you mean, you can't find him!" Sasuke shouted, slamming his hand down on the desk and making the accessories on it tremble and tilt.

"Please, calm down, Sasuke," the hokage said, rubbing her head from the upcoming headache. "I've tried my best, really! There is no sign of him anywhere; everything's clean and there's not even a speck of dirt that shows traces of him anywhere."

She paused and looked at the angered Uchiha then sighed, clasping her hands together. "Look, I'll send a message to the kazekage. I'm sure he'll be willing to help," seeing Sasuke was about to speak she quickly added, "but you have to be patient. Fuming over this will not help! Understand that I'm doing all that I can. You're not the only one who cares for him, Sasuke. There are others as well; including me."

He said nothing, there was no emotion on his face; all blank. He lifted his hand off the table and turned, walking out the door and slamming it behind him with a loud 'boom'!

Tsunade grimaced and sighed again, slouched against her chair.

Ever since Naruto, Sasuke has been quite hectic. And Naruto had only been away for about five days! A ninja isn't labeled as missing until about four weeks, and not many people will start to panic yet, but she and Sasuke knew that he had run away even though nobody else knew.

It was the letter the blond ninja left before he disappeared…Proof.

_Dear Sasuke,_

_I know you're probably wondering why I've sent this to you, but please listen to what I have to tell you in this letter. To start off, well…damn, it's kind of hard to say, um, well, I won't be here anymore. Yeah, you read this right. I won't be here anymore. But…I'm sure you're glad…Uh, well, yeah. Technically that's all I wanted to say, but there's something else. I, erm, _like_ you. Just hear me out! You probably think that I'm some weird ass guy that just has a crush on you, but…but I really do like you. I just never thought of confessing to you because I thought you'd be disgusted._

_That I'd be rejected._

_But to put it out more clearly, I…love you. I knew we couldn't be like that, but I thought we could at least be friends. That happened…sorta. And I thought if it's like this then I'll be satisfied. Being friends was enough…but no. _That_ didn't happen; I ended up wanting to be more than friends. It was selfish of me._

_**Selfish**._

_**Disgusting**. _

_But if you took the time to read this, I'm glad you did. And I hope you can forgive me. I didn't want you to read this kind of stuff from me, but if I'm going to go away I thought I might as well tell you. So good bye, I hope you live happily._

_-Naruto_

There were also tears stains on the note; it was probably both Naruto's and Sasuke's, but, then again, it could be rain droplets. Who knows?

_**Naruto does.**_

That voice kept nagging at Tsunade's mind, it was quite irritating and yet calming.

Naruto…, she thought.

"-Where are you?" the woman asked loudly to herself.

There was no answer. Only the sounds of the clock as it ticked to the next second to the next second, to the next.

_Tick…_

_Tock…_

_Tick…Tock…Tick…_

_Tock…_

It sounded so slow; was it usually like that?

_**Why?**_

"I just want to know," she asked the voice.

_**Why?**_

Tears glided down her cheeks, but she remained motionless.

"I just want to know."

_**Where have you gone, Naruto?**_

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"Damn it!" He shouted. Today, he felt more angry and frustrated than previous ones. Maybe it was because it's been...how long? Five days? Five days felt like a million.

Sasuke was lying on his bed, his arms and legs spread apart as if he was going to make a snow angel. Scratch that; snow thing. There were no such things as angels. Never were and never will.

There were saviors though. They helped you and they seem so much like how people describe angels. But they're not; in the end they end up hurting you. Hurting you more than anyone else could do to you in a lifetime.

Pain.

So much pain.

He reached towards the ceiling and gazed at his hand. To him, they were ugly. It had been tainted from blood of many people; some were even of the innocent. He let his hand fall down, limp next to him.

Sasuke closed his eyes and let the soft sounds of the swaying branches of the trees outside, lull him into slumber.

Nothing seemed worth it anymore, everything seemed pointless now that _he_ was gone. How could he jump to such conclusions without asking?

_**Rejection.**_

Was he really afraid of that? Rejection? Was it such a big deal?

_**Disgusting.**_

How was it possible for him to think of himself as disgusting?

**_Selfish?_** How could he think _that_?

How could he not know of the feelings that he, himself, had? Wasn't it obvious enough?

_You hurt him…_

_You teased him…_

_You **hated** him…!_

"It's not true!" Sasuke bolted up-right, sweat running down the side of his face. That wasn't a nightmare, but why was his heart beating so hard? And the questions?

He sighed and got up, hitting his forehead lightly with his palm, as he walked towards his bathroom. He stopped in front of the sink and looked at himself in the mirror; a wreck.

His skin was paler than usual, there were bags under his eyes that showed people around him the lack of sleep, and he looked so old. His eyes seemed dull and, as always, showed no emotion, but the hurt in his eyes was so obvious…and so were the hate, anger, and the feeling of betrayal. Scratch the no emotion thing; practically all of his negative emotions were showing now.

Sasuke fought back the tears that pricked at the edge of his eyes.

No.

The lack of sleep was getting to him.

No.

Yeah, that's it.

No.

But he couldn't help, but let the tears fall. It was just too strong.

No…

_**Why?**_

"Why did you leave? You could have asked! You could have asked me!"

_**Why?**_

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Me: Don't ask, but please review. I was in the depressed in my mind yet happy on the outside mood:3 REVIEWS! I need them. I have to get at least FIVE! Grrr. XD Any-a-ways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't blame me for the many errors. It's pretty late where I am. So sleepy. Again, review!


	3. Katamoi

StormyMist: I have nothing to say today. Surprise, surprise! XD

Warnings: same as the last chapter BUT this one has SMUT in it. Ooh! xD You guys are probably glad aren't ye'?

Disclaimer: look at the last chapter

Pairings: look back

**Review Thanks:**

-I want to thank my friend 'cuz he read this too.

-Muraki Asato (I don't know whether or not to thank you, but I will anyway. It was kind of funny and scary at the same time…but anyways, thanks I guess…)

-Hell's Sorrow

-Navy2Blue

-losthimagain

-blue-genjutsu

-Sadness.Sorrow

-ellu

-yukaishepards

-Cherry Daze

-Chibi Saki

-rena

-nettieneko

-anonymous

**Character Info:**

Naruto – Age: 17

Bio: you should know.

**Gaara – Age: 17**

**Bio: same as above**

Sasuke – Age: 17

Bio: same as previous ones

**Tsunade – Age: 55 (but still young looking)**

**Bio: …………**

Me: Others will be added later, maybe. Also, I did not have a writers block with this. I've been quite busy typing many other things I kind of kept this on hold until a week ago. Gomen, Minna-sama!

_Chapter 3: Kataomoi… (Unrequited Love…)_

"I appreciate the fact that you came all the way here," Tsunade said as she motioned the young man to sit down on the seat across from her.

He wore very dark clothing, which matched his hair and the kohl that surrounded his eyes. His outfit contained mostly of black. He had a black trench coat that reached a little past his ankles, matched with black sandals. And to make the pants he wore, closer to him (or something) there were wide thin white belts. But there was also a tarnished white vest that covered his chest with a brown leather rope that held it in place. There was a belt that wound around his waist, the same color as the leather tightening, which tied the sandy colored gourd to his back.

"If you need help with anything I am willing to help, especially if it concerns Naruto," he replied, calmly.

Tsunade smiled. "Thank you, Gaara-sama," she said appreciatively. "Now, for the letter I told you about." She stopped for a moment and bent to the left side of her desk and opened the top drawer, taking out the letter that Naruto had written then handed it to the red-head.

He took it and silently began to read it.

After a few minutes, he gave it back to Tsunade, his expression the same. "Alright, but what place do you think we should start searching for him first?" There were several thoughts of many places he could think of that the blond ninja would go, but…he was smart to know that those could be the places they would search for him…

"I was hoping you would know…," she told him shamefully.

"I do know some places," he started. "Though I'm not quite sure he'll be there."

"It's better than nothing, isn't it?" The woman argued.

"I suppose so." Gaara replied calmly. "But I have one question for you, Tsunade-sama."

She hesitated, but quickly answered, "Yes?"

"…What will we do when we find him?"

Silence…

"I don't know…but we will find out when we find him won't we?"

"I see."

"So, will you help?"

"I told you before didn't I?"

"Yes, but-…" she was cut short when Gaara interrupted her.

"Any problem that concerns Naruto is my problem as well."

The hokage sighed, but gave a relieved smile. She looked out of her office window and then said, "Thank you."

----------------------**3 in a-half weeks later**------------------------

Tsunade paced from left to right in her office, hands clasped together behind her back. She was waiting for her top jounins to come and she wanted them to hurry up! There was no time to waste! Just as she was about to scream for Shizune, the office door banged open and 7 of the best jounin –of konoha—stood in front of her. From the left to the right were: Neji, Shikamaru, Chouji, Lee, Kakashi, Kiba, and Hinata.

"Finally, you guys are here!" the hokage shouted in exasperation, throwing her hands in the air.

"Gomen-nasai, hokage-sama!" they all said in apology.

Her left eyebrow twitched and she huffed in anger. "You're probably wondering why I sent for you, correct?"

"Hai!" they replied.

"With your permission I would like to assign all of you to a mission, a retrieval mission to get Naruto."

Everyone stayed still and no one spoke –since the hokage had the habit of speaking then waiting until someone else spoke and interrupting that person— until Hinata decided to break the silence by stepping forward. This wasn't a very delicate situation. "I'd be willing to help, Hokage-sama," she told Tsunade confidently. The white-eyed girl was still shy, but she had grown up and stopped stuttering now. Mature. She was more confident in things and now instead of thinking of Naruto as someone she'd like to go out with, she thought of him as a brother. Right now, the most important person in her life was Kiba.

"As will I," a long black haired young man stepped in. It was Neji.

Neji looked a bit similar as before, but this time his hair was a little longer and he had more manly features. Through the years in Konoha, added to the time he hung out with Naruto –which was quite often—he had grown quite an attraction to the blond boy. Even if he won't admit it, it was true, but he would never confess knowing that Sasuke loved Naruto as well.

Then Chouji stepped in. "Me too." As always, he was digging his face in some food; Korean barbeque beef jerky to be more exact.

"Tch, I knew it would be something like this." Shikamaru…he was lazy looking, but wise as ever.

Lee: "I shall do it as well! For Naruto-san!" He was forever cursed to wear that green spandex outfit with his bushy brows and weird bowl cut.

Kakashi laughed nervously. "I wonder what kind of trouble Naruto has stirred up this time." The same as always; though this time…he was just a _little_ older.

And finally…Kiba…" Hmph, that guy always stirs up trouble!"

Tsunade smiled then laughed, out of the blue. "I'll need all the help I can get," she told them tiredly, and yet, she was happy. Naruto had friends; good ones that'll be there for him when he needed them. Tears welled up in her eyes and she almost cried…_almost_. Then just as she was about to further the meeting –with other needed information—, the door of her office creaked open. Everyone jerked in surprise at the sudden noise and turned to see what it was. At the doorway stood the looming figure of Sasuke; and as always, now, he looked tired. But that didn't keep him from upholding his duties as a jounin. He slowly walked up towards the line of people and stood next to Neji, ignoring the pitiful look he and everyone else gave him.

"Good afternoon, Sasuke."

Sasuke glowered menacingly at the bleach-blond haired woman as he straightened up into an appropriate, and straight, standing position. "Good afternoon," he responded briefly.

The Hokage's eyes softened, but sadness still overwhelmed her. "Also, everybody, Sasuke shall be joining you in search of Naruto." She told them.

Everyone agreed. "Yes, ma'am!"

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"……Sasuke…," the familiar voice whispered to the winds, as the person looked into the clear blue sky. "I'm sorry…"

-----------------------

Sasuke turned his head and looked towards the sky, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. He felt as if something, or someone, even, was trying to…communicate with him… He shook the awkwardness he felt off and continued his silent walk through the long, green grass of the wide meadow. This was the place where he and Naruto would talk when they were willing to act civil to each other; act like…friends.

_Whooooo…_

The gentle breeze seemed to be turning into gusts of wind and it nipped and lashed at his face and skin, making it turn a bright pink.

_Whoooo…_

The bitterness of it made him shiver, but he stood his ground. He still had to stay strong…for Naruto.

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"Oi! Blondie! Gaara needs ya!"

The "Blondie" turned around and looked at the man with a grim face. "I _told_ you to stop calling me that, Kankuro!"

"Che! Shows what you know about respecting your elders."

"You're only, what, two or three years older than me?"

He stayed silence for a moment. "Whatever, no time for chit-chat. Let's go, Gaara is waiting."

The blonde still had the grim look on his face, but listened to the other man anyhow. He got up off the wooden stool he sat on and lazily walked over towards the other man. But just as he was about to

He blinked then shrugged. "Put it on the Kazekage's tab!"

"…But-!"

"It's alright," Kankuro butted in. "Go ahead. You won't get in trouble."

The man behind the counter hesitated to answer at first, but reluctantly nodded. "Yes, Sir."

Kankuro grunted in satisfaction and swiftly turned around and started to walk out of the small food stand. But before he was about to take another step, he turned his head towards the direction of the blond man. "Come on! I don't got all day! Sheesh."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm comin', Puppet boy!"

----------------------------

Gaara sighed and rubbed his temples in a forward motion. He had had a _lot_ of meetings today and the thought of meetings brought him back to his meeting with the Hokage three weeks ago. He let out shallow breath. _Naruto always makes such a ruckus._ He chuckled and leaned back in his rolling office chair. But that was what he liked about the blond Nin. A smirk reached his lips (1).

Yes…indeed.

Naruto had helped him a lot through his past years and they were _very_ _close_ friends. But it felt more like a one-sided relationship. The last time he had asked him, about who he had secretly loved, the blond said he loved Sasuke. It was some time ago that they had had such a discussion but it might have changed. So he wasn't exactly sure.

The red-haired man closed his eyes and rested his head on his chair and wiped his mind of everything at the moment. He didn't feel like thinking right now…

_BAM!_

The door slammed open.

"PANDA-MAN!"

Gaara groaned in annoyance. He may love the blond, but sometimes he could be too much. "Naruto…do you think you could keep it down?" He murmured quietly. But his request didn't quite reach Naruto's ears since he continued to hug and yell loudly, "Gaara!"

……Ooh. Dirty thoughts.

Keeping down a smirk, his lips twitched in anticipation. When he had looked up Naruto's face was _very_ close to his and as an added bonus…the blond was sitting on him. The red-head slowly licked his lips. Then, without warning, pulled the Naruto down by the collar and kissed him full on the lips. The blond-haired Nin blinked and grinned in mischievous before responding to the kiss, thrusting his tongue inside Gaara's mouth and intertwining their tongues.

Naruto moaned quietly as he felt Gaara's hands slide down his sides and stop at his hips. The red-head pulled him forward, closing the space they had between them. Yes, indeed this was bliss.

"Eh-hem!"

Both males stopped and pulled apart. They stared at the slightly blushing – from embarrassment – Kankuro. A minute of silence passed until Naruto's laughter lifted the cursed forsaken stillness. But all Gaara did was continue staring at Kankuro.

The blond-haired man climbed off and stretched, not noticing Gaara's lustful gaze at his exposed stomach from his lifted shirt. He sighed in pleasure when he was done and then grinned. "So! What did you want me for, "Kazekage-sama"?" Naruto's last words were laced with sarcasm, but not in an offensive way. He had to show "respect".

Gaara's facial expression immediately turned into a serious one. This was quite a touchy subject. Then, deciding not to waist another precious moment of time, he quickly said, "Do you remember what I told you three weeks ago?"

_**Flashback**_

It was a weekend – Sunday to be exact -.

Naruto was walking around casually, no need to be afraid of anything. There wouldn't be anything thrown at him and both physically and mentally. Everything was normal and he could actual speak like a human being here as well. He grinned. It was all thanks to Gaara. The red-head was probably the most trusted person he knew.

But then again, every day could also be a new danger. There would be people from Konoha every now and then, usually they were ANBU – sent by Tsunade to look for him and bring him back to his birth place. And at those times the blond nin needed to hide. Most of them thought he was dead and he just wanted to be free.

The blond sighed. He was needed in the Kazekage's office. He groaned in tiredness and rubbed his eyes. Naruto hadn't had much sleep last night, needing the time to study and think of plans for the near future. Looking around, Naruto spotted a rich looking house. It had a sign above the door that said: Kazekage-sama. He laughed. That was so typical.

He walked up to the door then knocked. He waited for a minute until he heard a muffled stomp, thud and long squeak of a door. The blond Nin snickered, holding his hand to cover his mouth in order to try and muffle his laugh. After a moment or so the door opened and he looked up to see a disheveled red-head. He grinned. "What's up, Gaara?"

The other man just stared at him, failing to pull off a glare. "Come in," he said briefly.

The blond haired man shrugged and casually walked in. He looked around. It looked plain. White walls, some picture frames with pictures in them, a few furnishings stood here and there: An oval table stood between a TV and a four person couch, a love seat next to it…

His eyebrow quirked. _A love seat?_

"You can sit, you know."

Naruto turned to Gaara – who was right next to him -. He frowned. It always unnerved him how the red-head could always be so quiet, but he had started to get used to it. He took a seat on the couch and faced Gaara – who sat in the other -. "So…you called me here?" The blond Nin started, trying to make a conversation going.

"Yes." Gaara replied.

"And?"

"You're going to have to leave soon."

"…………"

"Tsunade will send some ANBU and (or) some of the specially trained Nin to look for you."

"They expect to find me and take me back to Konoha don't they?"

"…Yes."

The blond man turned his head away and cursed.

"But we still have some time. They will not start to search for you until three weeks past this day. During the time we have now, we should make preparations."

He nodded in agreement.

Silence stood in the air for a moment or so, while neither of them wanted to speak. Until…

…Gaara stood up and patted the blonde's head. "I'll figure out a way to help you to the best of my ability, Naruto."

Naruto slowly upturned his head and a small smile graced his lips. "Thanks."

_**Flashback Over**_

"Yeah."

The red-head's eyes narrowed. "You should leave…_now_," he said emphasizing the last word. "They could be here any min-"

"Open up!"

Naruto whipped around. The door that lead into the office was shaking almost uncontrollably.

Gaara looked over to him pointed to the window. He mouthed the words: _Wait for me._ The blond nodded and quickly and quietly opened the window and jumped outside, running down the street and into alleyways, finding his usual hiding place.

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Me: This is only going to be a story I will update when I want to. ;p So hope you guys don't mind. There may be changes cuz I wrote pieces of these at different time period so, yeah. Hope you like this one.


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